


80,000 Units and a Friend

by EmilliaGryphon



Series: Guardians of the Galaxy One Shots [17]
Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), MCU, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, gotg
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-20
Updated: 2018-03-20
Packaged: 2019-04-04 21:34:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14029209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmilliaGryphon/pseuds/EmilliaGryphon
Summary: @Chris-phd on Tumblr requested a fic about Groot and Rocket's first bounty adventure!





	80,000 Units and a Friend

“….and you want us to bring him in why?” Rocket inquired once more, small paws on his hips. The woman before them looked down at him with the same vitriol and lack of respect Groot had seen on the faces of everyone else who came in contact with the strange creature. 

“Because, he has been stealing precious herbs.” She adjusted her seat on her high, wooden throne. Groot only smiled, he liked Berhert. It reminded him of home. Woods surrounded them, growing plants and flowers, so green and beautiful. It smelled like rich earth. 

“Well from the looks of his file, he looks like a tough catch,” Rocket scrolled through his recently stolen hologram data pad. Groot smiled to himself, for it had been his idea after all that Rocket take it from Halfworld. 

“80,000 units,” Lady Yksh said, Rocket’s ears perked up. 

“80,000 units,” Rocket mulled over. “Not bad, not bad.” He folded up the data pad and stuffed it into his suit. “Alright lady, we’ll track him down for you. And we want the units in cash.” She nodded. 

“You know,” she mused, “I had my reservations about hiring a talking rodent and a tree to bring down one of the galaxy’s most notorious thieves. Rocket snarled, Groot sprouted thorns from his shoulders, he didn’t need to fully understand the alien language to know the words Rodent or Tree.

“I am Groot!” Lady Yksh blinked and Groot’s heart sunk, yet another person who didn’t understand. Only Rocket, this funny little animal, knew the meaning of his words. 

“He says he’s not a tree,” Rocket relayed. Groot nodded, affirming. The lady looked skeptical, “and I ain’t a damn rodent lady!” He cocked his gun, Groot watched the guards, spears ready and grabbed the odd creature by the back of suit, haulling him backward out of the green branched hall. They’d only known each other for two weeks and had only broken out of that prison that was Halfworld a few days ago. But Rocket knew Groot was more even tempered and Groot knew Rocket could lose his temper at any given moment. 

“Why’d you do that?!” The short animal demanded, Groot sighed shaking his head. 

“I am Groot!” 

“What the hell do you mean unprofessional? You were the damn unprofessional one!” He snarled. Groot folded his arms, already irritated. 

“I am Groot!” He protested. Rocket spat,

“Let’s just get this flarking guy alright?” Groot gave in, it wasn’t worth fighting the animal. They drifted through Berhert’s untouched forest, Rocket had to stop and wait every few steps, sigh impatiently and drag Groot away from the new fascinating plants. 

“Let’s go you….” He stopped, 

“I am…”

“Shhh!” He snapped, holding a finger to his muzzle and slowly took out his gun, crouching forward through the brush. He pushed red foliage away with the barrel of his weapon and held his breath. There he was, the target. Small, though small was a relative term for Rocket. He watched the figure kneel in the grove of the herbs and take out a large knife from his belt, cutting away in bunches at the five-leaved plant. Beside him Groot bristled. 

“Just wait!” Rocket growl whispered, but Groot charged forward, as the target reached for another handful of herbs. A large wooden arm shot out from the flora colossus, catching the alien’s arm. He shouted in shock as Groot grew more vines from his arms, trying to wrap around the struggling thief. Rocket ran forward gun out but not before the target was able to pull another blade, this one longer, sharper. He sliced Groot’s vines through and cursed, running off into the thick trees. Groot made a whimpering sound, stumbling back, his painful moans punctuated by the sounds of Rocket’s gun firing. 

“You IDIOT!” Rocket whirled on him, “you let him get away! I told you to wait!” Rocket looked him up and down, disgusted. “Idiot!”

“I am Groot!”

“You are! You have to wait! This bounty-hunting business takes work a’right? If we’re gonna do this together you gotta do it my way!” Groot frowned, 

“I am Groot,”

“You’re the muscle, I’m the smarts. That’s how we got outta Halfworld, that’s how we’ll make it out here.”

“I am Groot!” 

“You’re a big flarking idiot Groot now let’s go!” Rocket said, turning back to look where the thief had run off.”

“I am Groot!” Groot stated defensively. “I am Groot..” he said again, this time softer, looking at the ground. Rocket’s ears pricked once more, and looked back at him. 

“No,” he breathed, “no listen, I didn’t mean it like that….I’m not them Groot.” The odd animal swallowed, stepping closer. “I’m…I’m sorry alright. I…just follow me okay? We’ll get these units and be off. We can go wherever you want.” Groot looked at the little creature, who slowly walked closer to him and looked up. Up with the same hurt and heartbreak Groot felt. A different version, but largely the same brokenness. Groot head out through the brush, Rocket trailing behind him. 

“You can’t get that just by asking Groot,” Rocket explained several hours later as they walked through the jungle like planet. “You gotta have units to get stuff!” 

“I am Groot?” 

“Why do you need stuff?” Rocket asked, looking over his shoulder at the large flora colossus. “You need stuff because you don’t got nothing if you don’t have something. If you don’t have stuff you don’t have anything…and I’m tired of having nothing.” His voice drifted off, as he crouched down on his four legs and scurried under the bush. He didn’t think Rocket’s words were entirely true. You didn’t need stuff, if you had love and care, sunlight and nurturing….but then again, neither of them had ever had much of the latter. Certainly not in Halfworld. Groot stepped over the bush in one pace, then stopped, 

“I am Groot,” he pointed. Rocket stopped, then grinned, baring his teeth. Their target squatted in his makeshift camp area, nearly camouflaged by the brush. “I am Groot?” 

“I don’t have one yet,” the small creature admitted. 

“I am Groot,” the thought aloud, noticing that Rocket was actually listening. Once he was done explaining, Rocket smiled. 

“I think that just might work!” Groot beamed, and they got into position. 

Groot grimaced as their target procedded to undo his pants and pee. Rocket told him to remain as still as he could, but he squirmed his roots under the soil as the alien urinated. Groot rustled his arms, with extra branches grown out to make him look even more like a tree. That was the cue, from an adjacent tree, Rocket took aim, fired and missed. Groot cried out in alarm as the bullet grazed across his outer tough bark! 

“I am Groot!” 

“Then hold him!” Rocket cursed as the theif made to get away. Groot grew out his branches, wincing for they were stiff but he pushed through, throwing a vine around the laien’s ankle. He fell and Rocket dove on him.

“Get him!” He shouted between scratches and trying to dodge the alien’s flailing arms. “Hold him down!”

“I am Groot!”

“What do you mean your…shit!” Rocket went flying as the target punched him in the side of his torso, he flew through the air, 

“I AM GROOOOT!” Rage inflamed his bark as Rocket hit the ground with a thud, red sap dripping. The flora colossus flew forward in a protective fury, thorns springing up all over as he rushed at the alien….then stumbled to the ground, falling. Groot—now stunned by the bullet that had missed---watched as Rocket got himself to his feet, grabbing his gun and fired at the alien who made to run back to camp. Rocket laughed as the man fell this time, shaking and cursing, 

“Now hold still right there mister!” The raccoonoid said triumphantly, “you’re our bounty now! Rocket and Groo…” his boasting was cut short as one of Groot’s vines hit him in the stomach and he was knocked down once again. Groot bit his bark seeing his stray vine that he’d let loose in his struggle. The target rushed at Rocket, this time with a pistol,

“You little rat!” The gun fired, Rocket dodged, leaping up onto the branch of a tree and landing on the alien’s shoulders. Groot watched, trying to figure out how to unstun himself but eventually gave up, watching as a cute little winged creature landed on one of his vines, he smiled as it crawled on him, oblivious to Rocket and the target scrapping at each other. 

“Groot! Groot you idiot!” He heard and slowly shakily got to his feet, the stunning effect wearing off. The flora colossus ran at the alien and Rocket. Without thinking the small creature leapt upward as the alien lashed out with the butt of his gun, aiming to nail the raccoonoid in the temple, he sprang and Groot let out an oof, as Rocket’s weight landed on his shoulder, small claws digging into his bark. Together the two of them fought, Rocket’s gun now at just the right vantage point and height to shoot at the target. He doged though, grabbing on to one of Groot’s viens and running around until the flora colossus became tangled up. Rocket snarled as the alien hacked at Groot’s arm, in rage he jumped once more on to the target until the two were rolling around on the ground. 

The alien reached for his gun, and whacked at Rocket who fell to the ground, his previous wounds still hurting. Groot, tangled in his own vines was helpless to watch the target run away, grabbing his bag of herbs and boarding his ship.

“I am Groot?!” Groot finally untangled himself and ran to Rocket, who’s eyes were closed as he lay on the ground. 

“Did yah get him?” He murmmered, Groot hovered over him, on his knees.

“I am Groot,” he said regretfully, waiting for Rocket to insult him. 

“Ssss,” a small paw clutched his bleeding side. Groot gingerly reached out, Rocket’s eyes widening in impulsive fear until he drew back.

“I am Groot,” he whispered. Rocket looked at him with apprehension, with fear, then surprise, then acceptance and maybe just maybe, trust. Groot waited until the raccoonoid leaned backward, exposing his side once more. As slowly as he could the flora colossus held his hand over the wound and Rocket watched in awe as small golden spores fell from the wooden palm and dabbed his wound like snowflakes, the flesh healing itself. Groot closed his eyes, smiling as he felt Rocket’s body healing itself, encouraged and helped along by the magic of the spores. For a moment they were both still, just them and the forest all around. So natural and right.

“That was…” Rocket stuttered, looking at his newly healed wound. “Th…thank you…” Groot smiled up at him, those big eyes so much like the woods all around them. Rocket too smiled back, his eyes like forest fires of red. 

“I am Groot?” Groot asked a little while later when they were picking through the alien’s overturned tent. 

“Welll, well, well,” Rocket kicked aside some leaves and sticks, “looks like someone ran away so fast he forgot what he was stealing.” The raccoonoid hocked the bundle of herbs, 

“I am Groot!”

“I’m not stealing them! I’m borrowing them without permission indefinitely. Besides Lady Yksha was gonna offer us what, 80,000 units?” Groot nodded, “well these go for at least that much on the right markets, so we can get at least that.” 

“I am Groot,” Groot pointed out. Rocket turned to him, confused. 

“You got something more than 80,000 units?” 

“I am Groot,” A friend. Rocket managed a small smile. 

“Well,” Rocket whipped out the data pad, scrolling through. “Looks like there’s a hell of a lot more bounties on another nearby planet. Most of em’ worth a lot more then 80,000.” Groot came over and bent down, looking over his shoulder. 

“I am Groot?”

“It’s called Xandar. What’d you say?”


End file.
